Random Act of Kindness/Good Ethics

[Salty Walty]

I am fairly new to this board and like reading the stories and reports. I hunt mostly public, fight the crowds and deal with less scrupulous folks on occasion. But seeing as this is this Holiday Season and we should/need to believe in others goodwill. How about giving up one instance where you have been the recipient and giver of a RAOK/Display of good ethics in the field.
Allow me to go first. Last year I was hunting a refuge and having a good day. We had picked a good blind and the action was slow but steady. My partner had to leave but I decided to stay and work my new dog with just the 2 of us. One of the blinds above us had been taking some questionable shots and was losing and crippling birds (poor shot selection and no dog). The guys across from me were doing fair and getting a few birds some of them from the blind above. The guys above sailed a bird into the middle of the pond and made no effort to retrieve it. They ran out of shells or got fed up, picked up and left. I yelled across to the other guys and asked them if they wanted to send their dog for the bird. They declined and the pup made a great retrieve on it. One greenhead for Kody the guys across praised him. I had 5 greenheads and desparately wanted to get 7, for the dog of course. A little while later some birds started to work my spread and the guys across from me. We wre both calling and the birds were starting to funnel down to both of us. The guys across from me let some birds land so I could get a shot at mine. The birds came into the dekes just like a video. I rose up and dropped 2 more greenheads as they hovered the dekes. The guys across unloaded and dropped 4. Kody went out and got them both one had a band. I picked up the dekes and walked over to the other blind and thanked the guys for waiting and letting the birds work.

One that I gave; This happened before the one above and I believe was a result of this one. It was 2 years before at the same refuge and I was there for the afternoon hunt. It was slow but better than doing nothing. The birds were few and far between but there would be an occasional single or pair. I had a few birds and the guys below were getting some shots too. A single came into the blind below, they busted a wing and sailed the bird in front of the blind. It was starting to swim out to the middle of the pond and they didn't have a dog and the water was too deep. I sent my dog after the bird and after a long swim and a few dives he got the bird. The guys yelled thanks and I told them to come get their bird. When Buck got back to the blind with it I noticed it was banded. The other fellow got to the blind a few minutes later and I brought him his bird. I handed it to him and congratulated him on getting a banded bird. He told me that he was shocked and impressed that I would send my dog after someone elses bird and give it to them especially if it was banded. I told him it was my dogs pleasure and there are still some good guys out there.

Sorry for the long post but it is almost Christmas and sometimes we need a reminder of the good that is out there too.
Merry Christmas Everyone!

[Gun Rod Bow]

:grin: [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] :grin:

[Wreckless]

The "good guys" don't get enough press!!

Thanks for the positive vibes!!!

[Lefty]

Its nice to know that there are a still few "nice" guys out there!!!

[steelheadslayer]

If only there were a few more guys like you out there. It seems like there is way too many skybusters and guys who want to get theirs that they don't worry too much about having a great hunt without getting their 'limit'. My hats off to ya. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Tilla]

That was pretty cool.
A few years ago we had unknowingly wounded a goose during the Sept hunt. It flew out out of sight over the dike and over the Columbia. Some time later some fisherman from Frenchman's bar appears at the top of the dike and waves the goose at us and places it on the ground for us to pick up. Now that's some goodwill. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

In return I will always stop and lend assistance, if wanted, using my dogs to find someone elses pheasants. I went 1 for 2 helping others at Sauvie during the Oct. Pheasant hunt this year. I try not to miss a training opportunity.

[ 12-15-2003, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: Tilla ]

[XXL]

I've got one from spike season this year. We were camped by Lehman Hot Spgs outside of Ukiah and had almost every toy and tool you could think of. My son in law, Ruben, was on my brother-in-law Virgil's Mule (Kawasaki), hunting the OHV trails and was supposed to be back before dark. Just about dark he calls on the radio to say he's with a man and a woman who have high centered trying to get over a berm to drive to an elk they've shot. No winch or much of a jack to get unstuck. Ruben shows up a little while later and fills us in on the details of where they are. It's now full dark so we pile in the truck and head over to find them. I'ts 5 or six miles by the back roads but we wind our way around and finally get to the rig. It is soooo stuck. The berm is about 3 and a half feet tall on the uphill side and about 8 on the down. He never would have gotten back out even if he'd gotten over in the first place. We hook up and pull him out without too much trouble and then ask him what he's going to do about the elk. He's got no flashlight or rope, or a pack with any gear. It's just him, the wife, the dog, a couple of rifles and a knife. Well it's a no brainer for us, we head down to the elk with everything we need to get the job done. Ruben and I and the guy get the elk skinned, gutted and spread open while Virgil stays up on the skid road with the Mrs. This guy is really thankful and offers to pay or share meat or whatever as a thank you for us helping. Our message is just to pass it on the next time he has a chance. It gives you a good feeling to do something good for someone without expectation of payment. The clincher is this, they had shot a cow during spike season. The reason: She's a disabled hunter.....well she's getting around pretty good I thought, then Virgil tells me when they were talking up on the road he asked her about her disability. Turns out she's got terminal cancer and this may be her last hunt. Talk about a tear jerker. Needless to say we were more than happy to do what we'd done and appreciate our own good fortune and the family time we have to spend together. Cherish your loved ones every time you can, you never know when your name is going to be called or theirs either.
XXL

[Salty Walty]

Way to go XXL. Thanks for sharing. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Anybody else have one to share?